Reunification assessment

[Smarie87]

Hi all can someone explain to me what the reunification assessment process is please all we have been told is that it may be a lengthy process. Is it like a parenting assessment? I'm not worried about it but would like to know what to expect. Thank you!

[elpis]

from my experience it was very like a parenting assessment. A fair few visits from the SW, lots of questions about your past, jobs, experience, family. Is your home environment suitable, and visits from them during contact.

[Suzie, FRG Adviser]

Dear Smarie87

Welcome back to the parents’ discussion board. Thank you for your post.

I can see from your previous posts that you and you partner have been working very hard to overcome the difficulties that led to your children being in foster care.

I think that children’s services may now have agreed to do an reunification assessment. You are wondering what to expect and whether the assessment process is similar to a parenting assessment.

Another parent has posted a helpful response explaining what their experience was like and how the assessment was carried out by their local authority. I hope that has been useful to you.

I would advise you to ask your children’s social worker to provide you with a copy of their reunification policies and procedures. They should be transparent with you about their reunification assessment process. Unfortunately, not all local authorities have a specific reunification policy so it is possible that they may say they do not have a written policy. However, the social worker should be able to provide you with information about how they propose to assess you and the timescales involved. Any assessment will consider your parenting capacity, strengths and weaknesses, potential risks, your children's views and whether a return home is in their best interests.

You may be interested in the information contained on the NSPCC website: Reunification Practice Framework Guidance, published in 2015 by the NSPCC. Pages 21 – 66 may be the most helpful. Your local authority may not use this guidance but it should give you some idea of what to expect.

I hope this helps. I hope your situation moves forward soon.

If you would like to discuss your situation with an adviser please call the freephone advice line on 0808 8010366, Mon to Fri (except bank holidays), 9.30 a.m. to 3.00 p.m.

Best wishes

Suzie

[love2022]

hello Smarie87, just wondering how is your reunification assessment going so far? do you mind sharing the information here please? thank you.

Hi elpis, i noticed you have experienced the reunification assessment. can i ask what questions and how your social worker asked your children please? what was your children's response? was the outcome positive? thank you.

[elpis]

sorry for the delay love2022.

it was the same old questions.......is the home suitable , can you keep them safe, is their welfare your prime concern, how do you handle any behavioural stuff.
Re the children, she asked them directly, and they want to come home.
We are no further forward though..........on our 6th social worker in 10 months, and each one has to start again.
Have had to put a formal complaint in.........still waiting to hear on that as well!
If you can hold onto your social worker it should be a pretty smooth, but quite long, process.
I hope it works out for you all.

[Smarie87]

Hi we have 2 maybe 3 sessions left of the assessment so far I feel this as gone good we've been open and honest with the reunification assessor and the social worker. Our only down fall so far is our housing situation as we are in a 1 bedroom flat and they want us to look at private renting which we don't want to do as not many accept pets and we have cats which are the children's fron before they was removed and we've had 1 from 8 week only (now 11) and the other 2 from birth which are 6 and 7 so would not be willing to rehome them.

[Suzie, FRG Adviser]

Dear Smarie87

Thank you for your updating post. It is good to hear that your reunification assessment seems to be going well. It sounds as if you are engaging positively with the social worker and the assessor. Your previous posts show that you have been working hard for a number of years to address the professionals’ concerns and to improve your situation so well done for keeping up your motivation and commitment.

Your housing situation is important. Children’s services will need to be satisfied that the children have a safe suitable stable place to stay. You don’t say what type of tenancy you have at the moment. I would encourage you to seek specialist housing advice about your possible housing options as if you have children in your care your housing needs will be different. I understand your worries about finding private rented accommodation which will allow you to keep your cats, as you are devoted to them. This is not an area on which I can advise but it may be worth checking out more thoroughly what is available in the private rented sector as well as speaking to a housing advisor about other options.

If housing is the only factor preventing the children’s return home then children’s services may be able to help too. They have a power to help families with accommodation or housing costs where they assess this to be necessary; please see this advice here for more information.

You may need to also have a contingency plan for your cats if you cannot access accommodation which is suitable for the children and which allows pets.

Please see links here to housing advice services.

I hope this helps.

Please do post back with any further queries or updates, as needed.

Best wishes

Suzie

[Smarie87]

Just a little update we had a visit from the social worker and the reunification assessor I am more than happy to say that it went better than we expected we now have unsupervised contact with the children on a weekly basis instead of monthly the children are not yet aware of the assessment taking place but they will be told on the 7th of August what the plan going forward is.

I'd just like to say a thank you for all the advice you have given on this group